The Reason for Rejection

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

John 3:18-19

The way to salvation as outlined in this passage is a simple one.  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  That’s it – as simple as it gets.  “He that believeth on him is not condemned.”  Why would anyone ever so simple and generous an offer of eternal life and salvation from sin?  Why would anyone choose the condemnation found in the second half of verse 18, “…he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God?”  With such and wonderful, free and simple offer available to all mankind, why do so many reject it?  I believe that the answer is found at the end of verse 19: “…men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

The sad truth is that men are evil and sinful.  They do not want to be told that they are evil and sinful.  So, when they are confronted with a holy God in the form of Jesus Christ, they quickly reject Him.  They love the darkness and they don’t want to be in the life.  They are spiritually dead and they like it that way.  They don’t want to be reproved for their sin and they don’t want to think that they need a Saviour.  It should not surprise us that sinful men want to continue to be sinful men.

It is a sad fact, but the Devil has deceived many.  He has drawn many from the simplicity of the gospel in Jesus Christ.  He is a wonderful Saviour, but sadly, most men do not want to be saved.

The Reason for His Coming

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 3:16-17

We all know that Jesus came to Earth.  We celebrate His birth at Christmas, and we celebrate His death, burial and resurrection at Easter.  Even people who do not Him and have not believed on Him as their Saviour know about these historical facts.  But there is m0re to the story than just the simple facts of His birth, life, death and resurrection.  Many people throughout history have been born and have died.  But Jesus was different.  The reason He came was different.  And these verses give us the reason that He came.

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”  God did not send Jesus to condemn the world.  The world, being in sin since Adam, was already condemned.  God sent Jesus to save the world.  He sent Him as the Redeemer of fallen mankind.  He sent Him as the holy and perfect sacrifice for sin.  He sent Him “that the world through him might be saved.”

The world was in a state of death when Jesus came.  People were (and still are) born spiritually dead.  God sent Jesus to give people spiritual life.  And not just a temporary spiritual life – He sent Him to give people “everlasting life.”  It is difficult for our human minds to comprehend the magnitude of that – we are passed from eternal death to eternal life, through Jesus Christ.  But that is exactly why He came – to give us salvation and, with it, eternal life.  In the words of the great hymn, “What a wonderful Saviour is Jesus, my Jesus.  What a wonderful Saviour is Jesus, my Lord!”

Living for Jesus (Hymn)

Living for Jesus
Thomas Obadiah Chisholm

Living for Jesus, a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.

Chorus
O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me.
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne.
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.

Living for Jesus, Who died in my place,
Bearing on Calvary my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.

Chorus

Living for Jesus, wherever I am,
Doing each duty in His holy Name;
Willing to suffer affliction and loss,
Deeming each trial a part of my cross.

Chorus

Living for Jesus through earth’s little while,
My dearest treasure, the light of His smile;
Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem,
Bringing the weary to find rest in Him.

Chorus

This hymn is what life is all about: living for Jesus.  There are so many reasons that, as Christians, we should be living for Jesus and this song gives us several of them: “Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me.”  That is one huge reason for us to live for Him.  He “died in my place, bearing on Calvary my sin and disgrace” is another big one.  We know we should be living for Jesus.  Now, are we?

The Most Famous Verse in the Bible

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

This is probably the most famous verse in the entire Bible.  It is the first verse that many people memorized as a child.  It is a verse that is familiar even to people who do not go to church.  Any child that has gone to Sunday school or church at all is probably familiar with this verse.  There is a reason that it is probably the most famous verse in the Bible: it is a great verse that contains several great truths.  We will look at a few of those truths today.

In this verse, we have the extent of the love of God.  God’s love is not like man’s love – it is perfect.  God loved the world so much that He “gave his only begotten Son.”  If there is ever a time in your life when you feel “unloved” or are tempted to say “nobody loves me,” just remember this verse.  God Himself loves you so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die on a cross for you.

We also have the plan of salvation.  “…that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  Verse 15 says the same thing, almost word for word.  Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is the way of salvation.  It is the way to eternal life.  It is an escape from an eternal death.  All of this is available to us if we will only believe.  The way to salvation is to look to Jesus and believe on Him.

We finally see the results of God’s love for us and Jesus’ sacrifice for us when we believe on Him.  “whosoever… should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  Death is a frightful thing, but, through Jesus, we can conquer death.  Death has no hold on a believer.  The believer is in possession of everlasting life.

What a wonderful verse and what a wonderful Saviour!

The Way to Life

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:14-15

In these verses, Jesus gives Nicodemus a preview of the way to eternal life through Himself.  We looked at the symbolism of the serpent in the wilderness for the last couple of days.  Today, we will look at the Saviour.

John 3:15 tells us of the Saviour’s plan for mankind.  It tells us of His perfect salvation and how to obtain that perfect salvation.  It tells us how to avoid death and find eternal life.

“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”  That is a simple verse making a simple statement of a powerful and eternal truth.  Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ gives us salvation.  Believing on Him means that we will not perish, and that we will have eternal life.  It sounds so simple.  It sounds simple because it is simple.  Just as the Israelites in the day of Moses had only to look at the serpent to be healed, so we have only to believe on the Lord Jesus to be “passed from death unto life.”

Men throughout the centuries since Jesus died on the cross and rose again have tried to complicate the matter.  They have tried to make all kinds of things necessary for salvation.  They have tried to work and do everything in their power to earn their salvation.  But Jesus offers it freely.  He offers eternal life to anyone willing to believe in Him.  “…whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”  I heard a hymn once that said “whosoever meaneth me.”  Yes, indeed.  Whosoever meaneth me. What a wonderful Saviour!  Have you believed in Him today?

The Serpent’s Symbolism

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

John 3:14

And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.  And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

Numbers 21:8-9

Yesterday we looked that the picture that Moses lifting up the brass serpent in the wilderness gives us of the Lord Jesus.  Just as the children of Israel had only to look at the serpent to be healed, so we need only to look at the Lord Jesus to be healed.  Today, we will look at the wonderful symbolism found in this picture.

The picture of the brass serpent in Numbers was a picture of the Lord Jesus.  Just as the serpent was lifted up, so Jesus would be lifted up from the earth on the cross.  Just as looking at the serpent would heal the Israelites, so looking at Jesus will heal us.  Just as looking on the serpent of brass caused the Israelites to live, so looking to Jesus will cause us to live.  The serpent represented sin, so Jesus became sin for us.  In the Old Testament, we have pictures of Jesus, and in the New Testament, we have the fulfillment of those pictures.

Jesus Christ became sin for us when He was crucified on the cross.  Looking to Him will heal us and give us life.  It is interesting to study the symbolism found in the Old Testament, but it is even better to know the Saviour – the subject of the symbolism.  Thank God for His perfect salvation!

The Serpent In The Wilderness

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

John 3:14

And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.  And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

Numbers 21:8-9

In John 3:14, Jesus gives Nicodemus a picture of things to come and a great picture of what happens in the life of every Christian.  He tells him that, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, He must be lifted up.  When we look at the story of Moses and the serpent in the wilderness, we see a wonderful picture of what happens when Jesus Christ is lifted up.

In Numbers, the children of Israel had sinned against God and God had sent fiery serpents among them.  These serpents bit the people, and the people  started to die.  Moses prayed for them and the Lord told him to put a brass serpent on a pole.  Anyone who would but look at the serpent of brass would be healed of the bite from the fiery serpent.  They only had to look at the serpent to be healed.

In John, Jesus said that His “being lifted up” would be the same.  Today, men are bitten by the fiery serpent of sin.  That fiery serpent bites every man that comes into the world.  And every one of us desperately needs healing from that bite of sin.  The only way to be healed is to look to the Son of man.  All we must do is look to Him.  What a wonderful Saviour!

Ye Must Be Born Again

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old?  can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

John 3:3-7

Nicodemus, a Pharisee, came to Jesus because he saw that He was a “teacher come from God.”  He knew that Jesus was something special and he wanted to know all about it.  Jesus told him that “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  That was obviously a “hard saying” for Nicodemus, who was confused and wondered how a person could be born a second time.  Jesus then explained it further.

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”  When we are born, we are “born of the flesh.”  That is our “first birth.”  And, in it, we inherit a sin nature that has been passed down all the way from Adam.  Our first birth leaves us with a spiritual problem.  We are, by birth,  by nature, and by practice, sinners.  We need a “new birth.”  We need a spiritual birth, which is exactly what Jesus is talking about here.  That is why He told Nicodemus, “Marvel not that I say unto thee, Ye must be born again.”

Each and every one of us comes into the world a sinner.  And each and every one of us needs to experience a “Spiritual birth.”  Without that spiritual birth, we “cannot enter the kingdom of God.”  We must be born again.

The Teacher Come From God

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:  The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

John 3:1-2

John 3 contains the account of Nicodemus, a Pharisee, coming to Jesus and talking to Him.  Most of the Pharisees hated Jesus and would have nothing to do with Him, but Nicodemus was different.  He did come “to Jesus by night,” and he may have done that in nervousness and fear of the other Pharisees, but we don’t know for sure.  What we do know is that Nicodemus came to Jesus and that he recognized that there was something different about Him.

“Thou art a teacher come from God.”  Nicodemus recognized that Jesus was a great teacher: a teacher sent from God.  Obviously there was more to the story than that.  We know that Jesus was so much more than merely a great teacher.  He is the Saviour, the Son of God.  But what Nicodemus did understand what that Jesus was a perfect teacher.

If we had the opportunity to sit under and learn from a “teacher come from God,” I would think that we would do it.  Being a teacher myself, I’m always eager to listen to other teachers who know more than me.  And Jesus is a Teacher who knows literally everything.  We have the mind of this “teacher come from God” in the form of the Bible.  How much do we pay attention to it?  How much do we read and study it?  How much do we obey it?

If we had the opportunity to sit and listen to Jesus speak (like Nicodemus did), we would surely do it.  So why do we so often ignore His words when they are written down for us?  Let us pay attention to this teacher from God.

Living By Faith (Hymn)

Living By Faith
James Wells (1918)

I care not today what the morrow may bring,
If shadow or sunshine or rain,
The Lord I know ruleth o’er everything,
And all of my worry is vain.

Chorus
Living by faith in Jesus above,
Trusting, confiding in His great love;
From all harm safe, in His sheltering arm,
I’m living by faith and feel no alarm.

Though tempests may blow and the storm clouds arise,
Obscuring the brightness of life,
I’m never alarmed at the overcast skies-
The Master looks on at the strife.

Chorus

I know that He safely will carry me through,
No matter what evils betide;
Why should I then care though the tempest may blow,
If Jesus walks close to my side.

Chorus

Our Lord will return for His loved ones some day,
Our troubles will then all be o’er;
The Master so gently will lead us away,
Beyond that blest heavenly shore.

Chorus

This is a great hymn to remind us that we do need to live by faith.  In fact, as Christians, everything we do should be in faith.  Sometimes things get obscured and darkened and we find our faith starting to weaken and waiver.  It is during those time we can take comfort in the words of this hymn: “I’m never alarmed at the overcast skies, The Master looks on at the strife.”  Are we living by faith today?